Will India’s Snatching Special Status to J & K by Scrapping Article 370 & 35 A Bring Kashmir to Normalcy

Today is India's Independence Day.Early in the morning and while addressing the nation from ramfort of Red Fort-one of largest red brick fort in India built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan Narendra Modi presented a blue print plan for nation. This is his sixth consecutive address to nation on Independence day.His address lasted for more than one and half hour.When a section of foreign media and Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has started comparing Prime Minister Modi to Nazi Hitler,Modi's India thinks other wise. Indologists like David Frawley call it new India in the days of dying Congress where it has no option but to fight for survival. David Frawley further advocates that Indian Culture and Idea of India is deep rooted and Narendra Modi is giving rebirth to Hindu India.

Prime Minister on other hand announced setting up a Special Position of Chief of Defense Staff which will supersede all three Army Heads and perhaps will report directly to Prime Minister. His water Saving Schemes,His Population control emphasis and his speech on supporting scrapping of Article 370 and 35 A from Indian Constitution which snatches special status to Jammu and Kashmir and Parliament passing the bill of bifurcating the state in to two all was heard by more than a billion people today by various mediums.

Almost a fortnight Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed to Nation after scrapping article 370 & 35 A by a Presidential order he assured the nation that this act of his administration will not bring Kashmir to normalcy but return it to its glorious days by rapid industrialization,developing tourism industry,setting up food processing units,schools and universities,infrastructure and investment. A week before that when almost 30000 military,paramilitary and policemen were ordered to move across valley none had idea what is motive government.The leaders of political parties of state like National Conference,PDP and Hurriyat were house arrested a night back and next day government ordered scrapping of article 370 and 35 A by a Presidential order. Since parliament session was still going on the bills were voted with thumping majority in both the houses and sent to President to become an Act. The heavy deployment of forces is still on,telephone line are cut,political leaders are still under house arrest and foreign media is under strict scrutiny keeping tomorrow Muslim festival in mind.

While there is huge support among nationalist people for Modi Government’s this act there is considerable population in each community who thinks otherwise. The neighboring Pakistan is worried enough on this aggressive step of India as it thinks Kashmir is an international issue. The point to be marked here is that the entire Kashmir region is under control of both India and Pakistan. Two third region is controlled by India while one third region by Pakistan. The second decisive step Modi government took was to divide the state in two parts Jammu and Kashmir and Laddakh. The entire region has three diverse geographies. Kashmir Valley which is a Muslim Majority, Jammu which is a Hindu majority and Laddakh which is again a Hindu majority.

The issue of claims over Kashmir between India and Pakistan dates back to 1947 when in the winters of same year immediately after independence from British and getting divided in to India and Pakistan, Pakistan forced Kabayali intruders inside Kashmir loaded in 200-300 trucks to invade the entire region. By then Kashmir was under control of Maharaja Hari Singh who had signed a stand by status to remain independent to India and Pakistan but realizing that Kabayali intruders can any time seize Sri Nagar attack on palace he asked for help from then Prime Minister of India Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru. Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru sent his aide V K Menon to meet Hari Singh but seeing that Kabayli intruders are almost entered in Sri Nagar he directly went to palace where Hari Singh had just returned from somewhere and was asleep. V.K Menon aksed him sign Instrument of Accession which he did and requested Menon to return with armed support as soon as possible.When V.K. Menon left palace Mahara Hari Sigh ordered his aides that if Indian Army did not reach in time and Intruders attacked on palace he should shot dead in his sleep.
But as Pt Nehru had promised India Army was airlifted to Sri Nagar in next two hours and defeated heavily armed intruders and thus J & K became part of India. Same year when Pt Nehru went to London, a member of (Constituent Assembly -who had drafted India’s Constitution) went to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar with proposal of article 370 which he refused to add in constitution at first instance. But Aiyangar persuaded Sradar Vallabh Bhai Patel to finally take his consent on article 370 which was about giving a special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Pt Nehru was still in London. The main features of Aticle 370 which was called Article 306 A at that time was-
1- Jammu and Kashmir will have its own independent constitution
2- Parliamentary legislations were not applicable on J & K
3- Except in Defence,Communication and few other portfolios,Indian constitution will not be applied on J & K
4- Girls who will marry outside J & K will lose parental property
5- J & K will have its own flag
6- How ever J & K’s constitution itself says(Article 3) that J & K is integral part of India.
7- In 1954 Article 35 A was added as a result of a Presidential order giving privileges to residents.

At one time Aiyanger had openly said that Kashmir is free to liberate itself from India at any given point of time while figures like Ram Manohar Lohia, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee,Dr Rajendra Prasad"Rajju Bhaiya", Ser Sangh Chalak Shri H V Sheshadri,,former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani, Former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee,Shri Rajnath Singh and Shri Murli Manohar Joshi has also opined that not only Article 370 and 35 A be scrapped from constitution but a Uniform Civil Code be applied across India pertaining to marriages,divorces,property distribution and kinship.